The Making of Griots: One Black Filmmaker's Journey with Six Teenagers

Abstract

The Media Project was created to facilitate the journey of "inner city" high school students as they learned to make their first short films. Their leader chose to enlist the support of a professional cinematographer, production manager, editor, and director, to see that the final short films are of a high quality. The six teenagers experienced the project as members of an extensive social network that consisted of Nick, the video production company that sponsored the project, the community members who provided acting talent, the professionals from the film and video community, and Grant State University that provided services for the young filmmakers. Through these people and the circles of support that they represent, the students achieved success as young filmmakers who are valued and celebrated by their elders, peers and family members. The experience of the six Black filmmaking students, in the context of an African-based family system that is created and managed by a Black male filmmaker, has many important features to be noted and studied more deeply for the potential it promises as a model of instruction for other media projects involving youth.